Category: Music

I purchased 10,000 yen iTunes cards from Japan Codes for $90. That’s the lowest price I’ve paid so far. I tried purchasing last week but they were out of stock. I got my redeem codes instantly from the site. Looks like they only accept Paypal for now.

I discovered Junko’s Kashimiya no Hohoemi (Cashmere’s Smile) on Tumbler and loved it! I wanted the original album but it’s too expensive so I purchased Junko’s Golden Best instead. It also includes this song.

Bananarama’s, I Heard A Rumor, used to be one of my favorite songs so I noticed similarities when I first heard Meiko Nakahara’s, Dance In The Memories. It shares the same style although slightly different melody. Then I heard Yoko Nagayama’s, GIVE ME UP. It also reminded me of I Heard A Rumor and I’m thinking these songs are copying it. It turns out all these songs sample Michael Fortunati’s, Give Me Up. I’ve never heard of him because the song wasn’t released in the U.S.

Anime has some great songs. I wouldn’t have discovered these other songs without watching Ranma ½.

Good news and bad news. The good news is Japan Codes sent my iTunes card instantly with my purchase. The bad news is the price for a ¥10,000 went up to $110 dollars from last year. I paid $91 dollars last year.

I fell in love with Dress Down after hearing it sampled by Yung Bae. Amazon Japan didn’t have any copies (new or used) until recently. A merchant wanted $125 dollars for a used copy in “acceptable” condition. I purchased it despite the list of problems with the CD artwork and disc itself. Fortunately, the seller exaggerated it’s condition. The artwork is in good condition and the disc is ever so slightly worn.

The seller shipped it free to my Tenso address then Tenso shipped it stateside by EMS. Usually, the mailman has me sign for EMS packages but not this time. I also created an account at my.usps.com and was able to track my package with the EMS tracking number.

I know music is copyrighted. I know you monitor sites such as Tumblr and delete music that belongs to you. However, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discovered new songs that I’ve fallen in love with because someone posted it online.

Americans may not be your target audience but we enjoy and buy your music too. I’ve spent over $1000 dollars just on Japan iTunes cards. I also have shelves filled with Japanese CDs.

I’m hoping you see the advantages of having your music on social media sites.